Cigarette having heat sink means for removing impurities from cigarette smoke



Feb. 10, 1970 H. s. STARBUCK ETAL 3,494,366

CIGARETTE HAVING HEAT SINK MEANS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM CIGARETTE SMOKE I Filed April. 5, 1967 24 FIG-l o 2? 2a 26 2a F|G 2 INVENWRS HERMAN S. STARBUCK NEAL BROOKS United States Patent Filed Apr. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 627,899 Int. Cl. A24f 17/00 US. Cl. 131-10.5 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A throw-away, inexpensive heat sink, preferably of metal, is incorporated wholly within the confines of a cigarette of either the filter tip variety or the filterless kind, for cooling the tobacco smoke and removing by condensation particles of tars, and other impurities carried by the tobacco smoke drawn toward one end of the cigarette. The heat sink element serves as a target for the particles, and gathers and holds the particles upon an extensive area of the heat sink element. In a preferred form, the heat sink element comprises a fine metallic wire spirally coiled with the convolutions of the spiral coil slightly spaced apart and in a single plane to define a thin substantially fiat disc-like wafer.

This invention relates to a means for removing impurities from cigarette smoke.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved means for removing tars and other impurities from cigarette smoke, and to reduce the temperature of the smoke stream and accompanying air.

Another object of the invention is to attain the object above mentioned, by means of a heat sink filter or trap incorporated in a cigarette or the like, to be thrown away after one use.

Another object of the invention is to entrap impurities including tars and other impurities, by impingement thereof upon a cold target surface within the cigarette body so as to condense and capture the submicronic particles of the impurities carried by the emerging smoke stream.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for the purposes above stated, which simply and economically may be built into the body of a cigarette of either the filter tip variety, or the non-filtering type of cigarette, to be thrown away with the butt of the cigarette when discarded.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for the effective removal of tars and other impurities from cigarette smoke, by high-velocity advancement of the tar particles prior to capture thereof upon an extensive target area of a heat sink trap.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing an impurities condensing heat sink trap incorporated in a cigarette of either the filter tip variety, or the filterless type.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the heat sink trap incorporated in the cigarette of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a first modification.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a modified form of heat sink trap utilized in the structure of FIG. 3.

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FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a second modification.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a heat sink trap as utilized in the FIG. 5 structure.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing a third modification.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a heat sink trap as utilized in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing a fourth modification.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a corrugated strip that may be employed in forming the heat sink trap of FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 is an end view of a heat sink trap formed from the strip of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an end view of a modified spiral trap similar to that of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a further modification of the heat sink trap.

The invention involves the use of a heat sink of metal or other material incorporated in the body of a cigarette, which will absorb enough heat to cool the smoke stream passing therethrough, to the extent of condensing and entrapping tars and other impurities from the tobacco of a lighted cigarette. The heat sink element as herein disclosed is economically built into the cigarette body, so as to be discarded with the cigarette butt after the user has finished smoking the cigarette. The heat sink element or trap may be located a limited distance from the drawing end of the cigarette, or that end which engages the lips of the user. In the case of a filter-tip cigarette, the heat sink element may conveniently be located immediately ahead of the filter, whereas in the filterless type cigarette, said element may be located within the tobacco filler an inch or less from the draw ing end thereof.

In all of the principal drawing views, the reference character 20 indicates the body of a cigarette comprising usually a wrapper 21 containing a quantity of tobacco filler 22. The cigarette has an outer end 24 to be lighted, and a drawing end 26 to engage the lips of the user. The drawing end 26 may or may not include a conventional filter of one kind or another, in accordance with current common practice. The means of the present invention is applicable to cigarettes of either the filter-tip variety, or the kind which includes no filter between its ends 24 and 26. In the latter case, tobacco may be present at the extreme end 26.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference numeral 28 denotes a heat sink element in the form of a fine wire spirally wound to form a thin wafer or platen, the convolutions of which will permit passage of tobacco smoke therethrough. The wire may be of metal, or of such other material as is capable of cooling any smoke drawn through its convolutions. Accordingly, the wafer or platen 28 acts as a heat sink capable of so reducing the temperature of the smoke stream, as to induce condensation of tars, and other impurities upon the relatively cool surfaces of the wafer or platen.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that the heat sink wafer or platen performs the function of a trap for captivating the tobacco smoke impurities. The heat sink element 28 is disposed transversely of the smoke stream wholly within the body of the cigarette. If the cigarette carries a filter tip constituting the drawing end 26, element 28 may be located within or immediately adjacent to the filter of the tip. As shown in FIG. 1, one face of element 28 abuts the tobacco filler 22 in the main body portion of the cigarette. The remaining face of element 28 may abut a filter; or in the case of a filterless cigarette, said remaining face may abut a quantity of tobacco extending to the end 26 of the cigarette.

While FIG. 1 discloses the use of but one heat sink element 28, it should be understood that a plurality of such elements 28 may be incorporated in the structure, arranged face to face. Also, the structure of FIG. 1 might include, in addition to element 28 or as a substitute therefor, one of the heat sink elements depicted by FIGS. 11, 12 or 13, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

In accordance with FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat sink element is denoted 30 and is constituted of a conical helix of thin wire having an apex 32. The wire may be of metal or other material capable of cooling any smoke drawn through its convolutions, to condense and capture impurities as mentioned above. The helical conical form of element 30 presents a large cooling and condensing area to any smoke stream drawn through the convolutions thereof. The base portion of the cone spans the interior chamber of the cigarette body, and the whole cone is confined therein with the apex 32 directed preferably toward the body end 24. The cigarette of FIG. 3 may or may not be furnished with a conventional filter tip, as was explained in the description of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 discloses a flat circular waferlike heat sink element 34 which is quite similar to element 28 of FIGS. 1 and 2, but differs therefrom principally in that element 34 is formed of a screen cloth of fine wire. The screen cloth may be of metal or any other material capable of reducing the temperature of smoke drawn therethrough, for condensing and capturing tars and other impurities as previously explained.

The heat sink element 34 may be used alone, or in multiples thereof, or in combination with a supplemental heat sink element 36 for example as detailed in FIGS. 10 and 11. Element 36 may comprise a strip of metal or other heat-absorbtive material corrugated as in FIG. 10, and possibly embossed as at 38 to increase its cooling and target area, the strip being rolled up to form a cylinder that will fit within the body of the cigarette. FIG. 11 shows the strip of FIG. 10 rolled loosely for clarity of illustration, the understanding being that a much tighter rolling of the strip will be resorted to in practice. FIG. 12 illustrates a similar heat sink element 40 formed of wire gauge or fine screen cloth in narrow strip form rolled up in the manner of FIGS. 10 and 11.

The heat sink element 40, of course, will in practice be rolled up more tightly than FIG. 12 indicates, so that it will fit within the cigarette wrapper in the manner of element 36, FIG. 5. Element 40 presents a very extensive target area for cooling, condensing and gathering submicronic particles of tars and other impurities from the smoke stream. The material of which heat sink element 40 is formed may be metal or any other material having a cooling effect upon smoke drawn through it.

Another form of heat sink element is shown at 42, FIG. 13. This element may be a substantially cylindrical or perhaps spherical slug of steel wool, aluminum wool, or the like, to be incorporated in the cigarette body in much the same manner as elements 30 or 36 of FIGS. 3 and 5. The shredded material of heat sink element 42 presents a very extensive target area for cooling, condensing, and gathering tars and other impurities from the smoke stream. The shredded material of element 42 may be of any suitable metal or other material having cooling and condensing capabilities as and for the purposes mentioned hereinbefore. Element 42 may be formed in other ways to act as a heat sink, as by lightly compressing comminuted metallic particles to slug formation, to the extent of making it permeable by a smoke stream passing through the cigarette body.

The structure of FIGS. 7 and 8 is quite similar to that of FIGS. 3 and 4, the primary difference being that the coniform heat sink element 44 of FIG. 7 is constructed of a screen cloth capable of cooling, condensing and gathering submicronic particles of tars and other impurities passed thereto in the smoke stream. Element 44 presents a large cooling and gathering area in excess of that which characterizes the planar cloth element 34 of FIG. 5. Elements 44 and 34 may be formed of metallic wire or screen material, by preference, although other materials of a non-metallic character might be employed in the formation thereof, provided that such other materials are capable of effecting the required cooling and condensing of submicronic particles of tars and other impurities impinging thereon as smoke passes through the elements to cigarette end 26.

The heat sing element 44 of FIG. 7 may be combined with other heat sink elements such as 28, 34, and 42, if desired, placing them in series arrangement for obtaining a progressive removal of tars and other impurities. Another serial arrangement of heat sinks is suggested by way of example in FIG. 9, wherein a heat sink element 36 is backed up by at least one heat sink element 28. Element 28 of course could be replaced by others such as 34 or 42, and in fact, many different combinations could be effected using the several different types of heat sink elements disclosed herein. The different heat sink combinations can be utilized to build up mass and greatly increased target area for effective capture of tars, and other impurities carried by passing smoke and air.

By combining the different types of heat sink elements, one or more thereof may be utilized to first increase the velocity of submicronic impurities, particles carried by the smoke, and then direct such particles to one or more succeeding heat sink elements employed as targets upon which the impurities may impinge, for highly effective removal of such impurities before they reach the drawing end 26 of the cigarette.

As was previously mentioned, one or more heat sink elements of the same type, or of different types, can be incorporated in one cigarette; and the cigarette may be otherwise conventional, either with or without a conventional filter tip applied thereto. In the several drawing views illustrating cigarettes, the space between the end 26 and any of the heat sink elements disclosed, may concontain either tobacco or a filtering material, or in some cases such space may remain empty. The geometric shape of the coniform heat sink elements, is of course subject to variation. Examples of metals that might be utilized in forming the heat sink elements, may include copper, aluminum, steel, or the like.

It is to be understood that various other modifications and changes may be made in structural details of the devices disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. A cigarette having an outer end and a draw end, and comprising in combination: an elongate tubular wrapper enclosing a tobacco filler; and a throw-away heat sink element substantially spanning the interior of the tubular wrapper and in contact therewith, the said element being in transverse relationship to the major axis of the cigarette, and concealed wholly Within the wrapper a short distance in from the said draw end of the cigarette, said heat sink element being pervious to a smoke and air stream drawn outwardly through said draw end, and presenting to said stream a cold-surface target area upon which may impinge, condense, and accumulate, particles of tars and other impurities conveyed by said stream, said heat sink element comprising a fine metallic wire spirally coiled with the convolutions of the spiral coil slightly spaced apart and in a single plane to form a thin substantially flat disc-like wafer, the heat sink element being in contact on the upstream side with the tobacco filler and on its downstream side with a filter mass.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Munson 131-105 Berriman 131-105 Brothers 131-105 Knudson 131-266 Niederman 131-10] X Snowden 131-107 Minto 131-10 Saffil' 131-105 6 3,167,076 1/1965 Mar 131-109 X 1,231,876 7/1917 Goodall 131-200 2,669,995 2/1954 Troy 131-10 FOREIGN PATENTS 584,328 11/1924 France.

MELVIN D. REIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

